


To Be Okay

by SkyFireForever



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Disability, Fluff, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Physical Disability, Recovery, Wheelchairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 19:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13818126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: Jake's having a hard time accepting the fact that he's in a wheelchair and Rich is having a hard time believing that it's not his fault.





	To Be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a quick little thing that I wrote. I might expand on it if people like the idea enough.

Jake hated this. He hated this more than anything. He was a sports guy, always had been. He loved running, jumping, swimming, doing all sorts of things. That was just who he was. Now, it seemed like he’d never get the chance to do any of what he loved again. It was all because of that fire, that stupid, stupid fire. Jake had been having a blast, drinking, laughing with his friends, he had been enjoying himself. All of that had changed at the smell of smoke. Jake didn’t remember much of what had happened after that. He just remembered screaming, everyone running to get away, the complete and utter chaos. Jake had ran towards the doors too, until something made him stop. Where was Rich? Jake remembered screaming his best friend’s name, he remembered running back inside, dashing through the smoke and choking on ash. He remembered finding his friend upstairs, just standing as the flames threatened to swallow him. Jake remembered calling out to him, trying to get him to move, but Rich had just stood there. Jake remembered grabbing Rich and pulling him out, dragging him from the house. He remembered the beam falling and knocking him down, everything burning. He remembered losing the feeling in his legs. 

Jake shook himself, trying to force the memories out of his head. He didn’t want to think about that now, not now and possibly not ever. They were just too painful. He looked down at his legs, his useless legs. He remembered the doctor telling him that he wouldn’t be able to walk again without the use of a mobility aid, he remembered being told that he wouldn’t be able to run or play sports again. Sports were his life and now they were taken from him. What was the point of him existing if he couldn’t even do what he loved? He shook his head, trying to stop this line of thought before it got too dark. Jake could still do things, he still had worth. Sure, his scholarships had been ripped away. Sure, he could see how people looked at him now, with nothing but pain and pity in their eyes instead of envy and admiration. Sure, he felt like a part of him was missing.

None of that mattered, though. None of that mattered for one, very important reason. Rich was alive. Rich was alive and okay because Jake had gone in after him. Jake would rather be paralyzed and unable to do what he enjoyed as long as Rich was okay. Jake knew that Rich blamed himself for what happened, he could see it every time someone mentioned Jake’s new disability or brought up the fire. Rich felt so guilty. Jake didn’t blame him, though. He could never blame him. Rich was his friend, his best friend, the only person in the world who seemed to genuinely care about Jake just for being Jake. Sure, Rich had become Jake’s friend due to some super computer, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t care about each other. Rich had apologized profusely once the news of the SQUIP got out. Jake would trade his ability to move for Rich’s life a million times over. 

Jake sighed, staring out and over the basketball court with a shake of his head. God, he missed basketball. He missed being able to run, the adrenaline that came from scoring a basket was the best feeling in the world. He couldn’t stay here, he was just torturing himself. He slowly wheeled away, pushing himself out of the gym before coming face to stomach with Rich himself. He barely managed to stop his chair before running into the short boy, pulling it to a stop and looking up at his friend. 

“Rich. Hey.” Jake grinned, hoping that his smile didn’t seem fake or forced. He didn’t want to make Rich feel guilty again. 

“Hey, Jakie-D.” Rich smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Are you okay, man? Your eyes, they’re...red.”

Shit. Jake was quick to wipe at his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m fine! I was just watching the basketball team practice. That’s all.” 

Rich looked at him sadly and nodded. “Actually, uh, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I know that you can’t play on our school’s team anymore, but I looked into it and I found, uh…” He blushed and pulled out a pamphlet, handing it over to Jake. 

He flipped through it, reading a few lines. “A...A disabled basketball team?” He looked up. “This is for real?” He asked.

Rich nodded. “Yeah. It’s a basketball team just for people who use mobility aids. Most of the members are in wheelchairs and stuff and they teach you how to play with the use of your aids and I thought that maybe you’d like that. I mean, it could just be stupid and you don’t have to, but-”

“Rich, I love it!” Jake interrupted. “This is amazing. Oh my god, thank you. This is so perfect.” He was so excited about this idea, about playing basketball again. “Rich, thank you. This means the world to me.”

“Oh, really?” Rich’s face was pink. “I mean, it wasn’t much trouble. It was the least I could do, after all, since I’m the one who…” He trailed off, but the meaning behind his words hung in the air. 

Jake shook his head. “Rich, I’ve told you a million times that this wasn’t your fault.” He said sternly. “But thank you anyway. This is-” He didn’t even know what to say, so he just hugged what part of Rich he could reach, which was his stomach.

Rich squeaked and tumbled onto Jake’s lap, face red. He looked up, their faces only inches from each other. He flushed and quickly looked away, leaving Jake grinning stupidly. 

“You’ll come to my first game, right?” Jake asked. 

“And every game after.” Rich confirmed, scrambling to his feet. He matched Jake’s grin with one of his own. “Come on, we gotta practice, right?” He walked behind Jake so he could push his wheelchair. “I think you’ll be the best guy on the team. There’s no way anyone could beat you.”

Jake laughed. “You think?” He barely heard Rich’s response, just thinking to himself that maybe everything would be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments! Feedback is very much appreciated, especially feedback that tells me how I can improve! Also feel free to request other stuff for me to write about. I'm always open to suggestions.


End file.
